TWO LAS TUNAS SUGAR MILLS WILL NOT TAKE PART IN 1999 HARVEST
By Ramón Colás, Cuba Free Press.

LAS TUNAS - In the eastern Cuban province of Las Tunas two sugar mills,
"Perú" of the municipality Jobabo and "Majibacoa" of the locality with the
same name will not take part in this year's sugar harvest.

According to the Communist Party publication "Semenario," the Jobabo mill
does not have enough cane available to justify its operation. The
publication said only 25 million arrobas (625 million pounds, since one
arroba equals 25 pounds) of cane were available and that would keep the mill
busy just 53 days.

The data indicated that to justify the start-up investment, a sugar mill
needs enough cane to keep it grinding at least 120 days, with the usual
milling rate being 70,000 arrobas per day. In the 1998-99 season, this
central handled only 29 million arrobas, which kept it going only 21 days,
making its operations a total loss.

As for the Majibacoa mill, which was built by the government, it will be
idle both because of a shortage of cane and the mill's run-down mechanical
state. Its technical deficiencies would necessitate expensive repairs or
even reconstruction before start up, making it one of the most problematic
of the country's sugar industry.

The mills' idleness will impose serious economic hardship on their laborers
and communities.